Commencement 2015

By the Numbers: The Caltech Class of 2015

Today we celebrate the graduation of Caltech's class of 2015. Wondering what it takes to meet the challenge of Caltech's rigorous academic environment? Here is a sampling of activities our seniors have participated in over the past four years:

Individually, our seniors have

taken 60 courses;

completed 420 problem sets;

spent 7,680 hours studying;

heard the cannon fired 25 times;

pulled 12 major pranks (and dozens of small ones);

consumed 24 pounds of food at Midnight Madness;

eaten and waited at 600 student dinners;

participated in or planned 120 Ditch Day stacks; and

attended 32 Interhouse and House parties.

In the class of 2015, there are 27 student-athletes who have

played 14 NCAA Division III sports;

earned 17 SCIAC all-academic honors; and

received 4 SCIAC awards and 1 All-SCIAC award

Collectively, the class of 2015 has

eaten 755 pies on Pi Days;

visited Tom Mannion's house 12,000 times;

participated in 150 different student clubs;

completed 181 SURFs;

participated in 120 cooking classes; and

In addition, the class of 2015 has

153 students graduating with honors;

2 dual BS/MS candidates; and

Students representing 13 different countries and 36 U.S. states.

Congratulations to our graduates for all of their hard work, focus, and accomplishments!

Caltech undergraduate and graduate students have collected an impressive array of awards this year, including three Fulbright grants, two Goldwater Scholarships, two Watson Fellowships, two Hertz Fellowships, a Soros Fellowship, a Marshall Scholarship, a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and 31 National Science Foundation Fellowships.

An expert at the intersection of culture and technology, Genevieve Bell is a vice president at Intel Corporation and an Intel Fellow, a position that reflects the highest level of technical achievement within the company.

Just inside the Caltech Store stands a manually operated penny press. If not for its distinctive orange color scheme and the Millikan Library panorama across its lower half, it might have come from any tourist-trap gift shop. But it is here for a very specific reason: to fund a single Caltech tradition that dates back nearly a century—Ditch Day.

Caltech's student leaders have full plates. In addition to splitting their time among responsibilities in academics, research, athletics, internships, social causes, and many other activities, they have also been elected to serve as representatives of and advocates for their peers. However, these students say the juggling act can be a gratifying challenge.

It is no secret that Caltech's graduate students have unparalleled research opportunities. Working closely with faculty advisers and colleagues in diverse fields across campus, their contributions are essential to the Institute's advances in science, engineering, and technology. For nearly two decades, the Everhart Lecture Series has provided a venue to highlight graduate student research at Caltech.